By Lee Jay Carpenter
Texas Aviation Association
DESERT MOUNTAINS
(Brewster County) Alpine, Texas is a mesmeric city nestled in the Davis Mountains approximately 200 miles east of El Paso. Often called the Hub of the Big Bend, Alpine is a favorite stopover for tourists visiting nearby Big Bend National Park, the Davis Mountains and the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory. The city supports three museums that focus primarily on the geology of the Big Bend and lifestyles of the local ranching community. Additionally, Sul Ross State University has a stately campus situated on a hill overlooking Alpine.
Due to the city’s remote location, the Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport (E38) plays an important role in supporting the local economy. The 2,100 general aviation visitors each year along with the general aviation tenants at the airport contribute over $1.9 million in total economic revenue to the community. Moreover, there are 22 full-time jobs at the airport with $727,000 in payroll.
Runways 1 and 19 are more than 6,000 feet long. There are two instrument approaches for runway 19, the new GPS (Global Positioning System} approach and the older NDB (Non-Directional Beacon} approach. Locals claim that Alpine-Casparis Municipal is one of the oldest, if not the oldest airport in Texas. It is named in honor of local aviation pioneer John ‘Cos’ Casparis, who died in 1984.
On a recent visit to Alpine, I sat outside the local E38 FBO (Fixed Base of Operations} office and became engrossed in the quiet and peaceful environment of the Chihuahuan Desert. The cool shade and crisp arid air offer an excellent venue to view the nearby mountains. As I was about to doze off, I heard the crackle of a speaker box connected to the local radio frequency. A pilot was broadcasting his intentions to land in Alpine.
I watched a twin-engine Beechcraft Queen Air enter the pattern of the airport, land and taxi up to the FBO. The props had barely stopped spinning when the aircraft was surrounded by several UPS vehicles. The delivery drivers began to transport many parcels from the airplane into their vans, scurrying like ants on hot cement. Then, as fast as the trucks had arrived, they sped off in several directions to make deliveries. Most drove into town while one lone truck headed north into the mountains on the Fort Davis highway. Then the sounds of the desert returned, as well as the coos from an Inca Dove and the drone of distant cicadas.
I had landed my Grumman Tiger at Alpine to refuel and met an illustrious, local pilot George Vose. I knew about Vose from viewing the former “Imus in the Morning” TV show which promoted a book entitled On The Wing by Alan Tennant (Random House). George Vose is one of the main characters of this nonfiction bestseller that beings with him and Tennant helping the Army track the initial migratory flight of a peregrine falcon along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Allan Tennant has written many nature books and has taken up the plight of the peregrine falcon because its survival is in danger due to the accumulation of pesticides in the bird’s tissue and bones. Vose and Tennant, an odd couple indeed, became close comrades as they encountered difficult times during this precarious course tracking an unseen falcon. Tennant resides in nearby Marathon, Texas.
George Vose
Now, back to my visit to the airport’s FBO, where I watched a vintage Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser taxi to the self-serve gas station. A young man named Cade Woodward emerged from the cockpit. He said he was a student pilot learning to fly from instructor George Vose. As if on cue, in walks a tall, distinguished looking gentleman with snow white hair, a moustache and a goatee. It was George himself, and he had driven up from his airstrip located south of Alpine.
After a brief introduction, and rather than talking about his own colorful career, or even Tennant’s book, Vose launched into a monologue promoting general aviation in Alpine. He pitched the idea of a new FBO building at the Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport. He showed me an ad he had sponsored in the Alpine Avalanche newspaper. The ad featured a photograph of a large Gulfstream IV business jet parked next to the present FBO, a small terminal building dwarfed by the plane. A local pilot commented that it looked like a 21st century jet parked next to the 19th century saloon from the “Gunsmoke” TV series.
”The FBO is too little,” said Vose. ”Twice this city has voted down a proposal for a new terminal building. We have a good airport. The runways are excellent and we have a good AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System), but a tiny building. We had a good plan, but the people voted it down two to one.” He explained that ads taken out by the city to promote the project stated, “It will only cost each person this much.” Vose continued, “People don’t want to think about money leaving their wallets, even if it is only five dollars. What they should have said is, ‘This new terminal building will help bring thousands of dollars to our city.’ People landing in these business jets have money to spend in our community. We need to have a nice building to greet them, and a pleasant place to relax. The terminal building is the visitor’s first impression of our fair city. What we have now is old and too small.”
Vose, who started flying in Maine around 1939, has been instructing since 1943, logging more than 23,500 hours. He is, indeed, a veteran pilot with vast experience flying many types of aircraft! Vose was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot certificate from FAA Administrator Marion Blakey in 2005. One requirement for this award is to have 50 or more continuous years of commercial aviation. “I passed that long ago”, said Vose, who is famous for aerial tracking of animals like elk, deer, lions, bear and, of course, peregrine falcons.
“Cas”
I asked Vose if he had ever met John Casparis, for whom the airport is named. “I knew ‘Cos’, but not too well”, Vose recalled. “Nobody knew ‘Cos’ real well for he was a quiet and reserved man. I first met him when I landed here for gas. He was pretty aged at that time. My plane’s battery was dead, and I asked him if he could reach in and operate the magneto switch while I hand propped the engine. Cos’ replied, ‘Oh, I can hand prop it’. There he was, an 80-year-old man throwing the prop around like a kid. He got it started all right,” said Vose.
George Vose, now 85 years young, says he plans to continue supporting general aviation, teaching pilots and tracking animals. “As long as I can continue to pass my medical exam, I’ll be flying,” he vows.
Big Bend Air Show
Steve Belardo, one of many local pilots who learned to fly from George Vose, helped to organize the first Big Bend Air Show held on May 25, 2007, at the Alpine Casparis Municipal Airport. Belardo said the air show’s purpose was to promote general aviation by drawing the attention of the non-flying public to the value of the Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport. “Most ordinary citizens mistakenly think that the airport is just for rich folks with airplanes. We hoped to show that the airport supports a variety of valuable services that benefit Alpine and the surrounding communities,” he explained. “Besides being a valuable stopover for cargo and tourists, the airport is the launching point for emergency medical evacuations from the Big Bend Regional Medical Center to the Odessa Regional Hospital, 180 miles away. There are three or four medical evacuation flights a day to and from these care facilities that help save lives.” Belardo added that the airport also serves as a staging point for government agencies such as the Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Agency and local law enforcement.
”There are a lot of blue collar folks out there who are interested not only in art galleries or the historic ranch lifestyles, but they are looking for something else to do, and I thought they would be interested in aviation related activities,” he said.
Apparently, Belardo was right because the inaugural Big Bend Air Show attracted more than 2,000 people. There were vendors, a VIP Pilot Supper, static displays of various aircraft such as the vintage Douglas C47, the Mitchell B-25 bomber, various aerobatic aircraft, skydivers and much more. Major sponsors included CBS Channel 7 from Midland/Odessa, the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, the Alpine City Council, the Big Bend Regional Medical Center and Rainbow Adobe Homebuilders, including support from other local businesses and private citizens. The Texas Department of Public Safety also set up a display booth complete with a helicopter and six troopers to answer visitors’ queries.
The air show benefited greatly the Family Crisis Center of Big Bend. “I am very happy to report that we were able to donate $5,000 to the Family Crisis Center and have a little ‘seed money’ left over for next year’s event,” said Belardo. ‘What’s more,” he continued, “people who knew nothing about the airport were able to come and see the facility first-hand and learn about the important role it plays in our community.” He and his fellow organizers plan to host the event again next year.
Visit: www.bigbendairshow.com to view all of the details of this year’s air show.
Many believe that because of its remote location, Alpine and the Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport are sleepy spots on the map where little happens. This is not true. I found the city and its airport an active and friendly base for visiting the majestic Big Bend area of Texas.
Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport, surrounded by mountains, is some 4,500 feet above Mean Sea Level. Density Altitude can reach 7,000 feet or more by noon on a summer day, so plan your flight accordingly. Visit: http:/ /www.airnav.com/ airport/E38 for help with flight planning.
